‘La tragédie de Paris’: How the world’s media reacted to Notre Dame fire

Blaze at Paris cathedral features prominently on front pages of newspapers in France and worldwide

The fire at the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris on Monday night features prominently across the front pages of newspapers in France and worldwide on Tuesday.

The French Roman Catholic newspaper La Croix carries a picture of the burning cathedral with the headline “Le Coeur en cendres”, which translates to “heart in ashes” on its front page. The daily newspaper Libération leads with a similar image and the headline “Notre Drame”.

Le Figaro, the oldest national daily newspaper in France, lead with “Notre-Dame de Paris: Le désastre” on its page one on Tuesday while the French financial newspaper Les Échoes carries the headline “La tragédie de Paris”.

Smoke billows as flames destroy the roof of the landmark Notre Dame cathedral in central Paris. Photograph: FRANCOIS GUILLOT/AFP/Getty Images
Smoke billows as flames destroy the roof of the landmark Notre Dame cathedral in central Paris. Photograph: FRANCOIS GUILLOT/AFP/Getty Images

The New York Times front page says “Fire Mauls Paris’s Beloved Notre-Dame” along with a picture of the cathedral.

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"Notre Dame has occupied the heart of Paris for the better part of a millennium, its twin medieval towers rising from the small central island wedged between the storied left and right banks," journalist Michael Kimmelman writes. "Now France is burning."

The Wall Street Journal also carries the fire on its front page with the headline “Blaze Ravages Notre Dame”, while The Dallas Morning News states: “Paris icon burns”.

The Daily Telegraph’s front page says: “Paris weeps for its beloved lady” with images of the cathedral and Parisians gathered on the streets on Monday night.

"The heart of Paris was torn asunder last night as a fire ripped through Notre-Dame cathedral and gutted the much loved historic monument," writes Henry Samuel in Paris.

The Sun’s page one goes with “Notre Doom”, while the Daily Mail’s headline says: “Nine centuries of history lost to the unholy inferno”, with both newspapers leading with images of the cathedral in flames.

The Independent also carries a picture of the burning cathedral and the headline “Notre Dame in flames”. “Nine centuries of history brought crashing down in just 63 minutes,” it says.

The Scotsman leads with a picture of the burning cathedral and the headline: “La tragédie de Notre Dame”.

Sarah Burns

Sarah Burns

Sarah Burns is a reporter for The Irish Times